Muted Words
by rawrchelle
Summary: Itachi/Hinata. Naruto/Hinata. It’s a delicate relationship. It’s a different relationship. Or maybe, it’s not a relationship at all. For Chibi Angel of the Uchiha.


**Title: **Muted Words**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Itachi and Hyuuga Hinata**  
Genre(s): **Romance/Angst**  
Summary: **It's a delicate relationship. It's a different relationship. Or maybe, it's not a relationship at all.**  
Prompt: **Hinata gets lost in the woods, near fainting, when Itachi finds her. Itachi feels something he's never felt before as she tells him about her troubles.**  
Rating: **PG-13**  
Word Count: **864**  
Warning:** There actually isn't much romance in this…^^" I'm sorry.

A request for Itachi's Only Love. :) If you're interested, the information is on my page.

Disclaimed.  
read&review.

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one.**

"Hyuuga."

"U-Uchiha."

He likes the way she sounds so afraid.

**two.**

"S-Stop chasing after Naruto-kun! He's not Akatsuki's to take!"

He finds it amusing, how she speaks with such sincerity, and actually expects him to listen to her.

**three.**

He does not find it amusing when he begins to sympathize for her.

**four.**

For the oddest reason, her innocence reminds him of Sasuke when he was younger.

"Naruto-kun is kind, considerate, and he always tries his best…"

"What kind of person the Kyuubi container is does not concern me." He knows he looks intimidating to her, with the way he towers over, clad in black and red.

"You've once had a family too! Don't you…f-feel anything?"

His hands clench into fists, because she hit the target perfectly. "No," he says, but his voice is tense.

He doesn't like the way her eyes soften at his response. It's almost like those pale eyes can see everything he wants to hide.

**five.**

"H-Here." She holds out her hands, and in them is a kunai. "I know it's not m-much, but it's thanks for listening to me."

As he accepts the gift, he contemplates killing her with it. It would be such a morbid and poetic ending. Quick and silent—suited for a girl like her. She doesn't deserve anything more. Upon inspection, he finds her initials carved into the base of the blade, near the handle.

_HH._

Without another word, he slips it into his cloak and performs some quick hand seals, disappearing with a flurry of ravens.

**six.**

"Yo, what's on your mind?" Itachi spares a glance at Kisame.

"Hn." He's idly sharpening a kunai by the fire.

_HH._

**seven.**

Funny, how he finds her again, unconscious in the forest where Mist-nin could ambush her at any given moment.

He walks up to her and waits, looking down at her still form. He could've been standing there for seconds. Minutes. Hours. Time hasn't been an element in his world for as long as he can remember.

He nudges her body with his foot. "Get up."

Moments later, she stirs. He ignores the way his heart beats a little faster. He ignores the way he feels more alive.

**eight.**

"W-Where are you taking me?"

He doesn't know, but he isn't about to tell her that. "Hn."

They stop when they reach a cave. This is most likely the safest place to be; in the Water Country, neither of them are welcomed.

He starts a fire effortlessly. "What are you doing here?"

She flushes and looks away, a hand to her chest. "Solo mission. I-Infiltration."

"I see." He takes out a kunai and begins to sharpen it—a habit that he's gotten into as of late.

She seems to brighten up. "You kept it!" He doesn't miss the way her gaze falls nervously to the ground after that. He can't find a suitable response, so he stays silent. The fire crackles, and he feels warm—and much more content than he has ever felt with Kisame, despite years of being partners.

**nine.**

She falls asleep long before he even feels tired, and he notes how stupid she is to even let her guard down around him.

After thinking for a moment, he strips off his cloak and covers her body with it.

He watches her for the rest of the night.

**ten.**

"You should go." He plays with the kunai when he says this, careful to not look up at her.

"You're l-letting me leave?"

"Would you like me to keep you captive?"

"W-Well, no, but…"

"Then go. And keep this with you." He takes one of his custom-made explosive tags out of his cloak. "When you detonate it, I'll come."

She's silent when she accepts the tag, and slips it into her own coat. "T-Thank you…Itachi-san."

A smirk tugs at his lips, and he hides it by keeping is head down. He only speaks once she leaves.

"You're welcome."

**eleven.**

Amidst the war—amidst a falling Konoha—the explosive tag goes off.

He's by her side within a minute. The clashing of kunai and other jutsu is tuned out as he stands before her. Her hands are clasped to her chest, and if he scrutinizes her enough, she's trembling.

"Did you want me to assist you…or do you want me to kill you?" His words hang in the air, and her gaze is averted to the rubble underneath her feet.

"I-I would like some advice…" He raises an eyebrow. While her village is being destroyed, she's asking for advice. "Should I tell N-Naruto-kun…my feelings?"

He doesn't care for her love life, or lack thereof. But she's looking at him with such earnest eyes, like a child—like a younger Sasuke.

"Considering the situation and the chances that you'll lose your life, you may want to think about it."

A smile stretches across her dirt-streaked, battered face.

"Thank you, Itachi-san."

**twelve.**

The moment she confesses to the love of her life, Pein lands a near-fatal blow on her. Itachi watches the scene from the top of a building.

He stares at the kunai she gave him, and feels more content than he has for years.

_HH_.

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A/N:** Every time I read the prompt, I think about Bella getting lost in the woods in New Moon. Hah. Has anyone seen the trailer? (I found it funny how it's funny without it intending it to be funny.)

I am actually so terribly sorry that this is so short. And it's kind of bad, too. And I didn't read the manga after Hinata confessed—her confession was all I was interested in. So, um, yeah.


End file.
